MidEast

Facebook has deleted a video from Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan’s account that compared Jews to termites, the social media giant confirmed on Thursday. The company said Farrakhan’s video was taken down due to the platform’s policies regarding hate speech, The Times of Israel reported.

In the video, Farrakhan responds to critics who call him an anti-Semite by explaining that he, instead, is “anti-termite.” The comment drew laughter and applause from his audience.

“I can go anywhere in the world. I’m not mad at you, because you’re so stupid,” he said, adding “So when they talk about Farrakhan, call me a hater – you know what they do – call me an antisemite, stop it!”

Farrakhan continued: “I’m anti-termite! I don’t know nothing about hating somebody because of their religious preference.” Farrakhan made the remarks earlier this month in Detroit to mark the 23rd anniversary of the Million Man March, his famous rally in Washington, D.C.

The hate preacher is notorious for his anti-semitic remarks, including his claim that “powerful Jews” were responsible for the September 11 terrorist attacks. He also claimed that Jews are responsible for promoting child molestation, sexual assault, and police brutality, among other social ills. In addition, Farrakhan charged that Judaism is nothing but a “system of tricks and lies” that Jews study to “dominate” non-Jews.

The Anti-Defamation League has described Farrakhan as “the leading antisemite in America.”

The footage was taken down by Facebook on Thursday because Farrakhan “refers to Jews as termites, which amounts to Tier 1 hate speech,” a Facebook official clarified. The social media giant also placed a strike on Farrakhan’s account, as a warning for potential future suspension.

Farrakhan also posted the video on Twitter. In July, the company “unverified his account as punishment for a tweet that stated, “Thoroughly and completely unmasking the Satanic Jew and the Synagogue of Satan.” This time, however, Twitter said the video does not violate company policies.